It is uncomfortable to confess to your doctor that you do not always use a condom or that sometimes you forget to take the pill. But it is crucial to not feel embarrased and comment it to him. If not, you are getting in harm’s way in regards to your sexual health.
When it comes to your annual visit with the gynecologist, you should not have reservations. Your doctor needs to know the details of your southern area; and that’s why he asks such personal questions in the first place. Even if you are tempted to disguise these topics because you feel that they would provoke judicious reprimand, something you do not especially need while you are wrapped in a paper coat, it will not happen if you are with a competent professional.
We must have clear that anything said in a medical consultation will not scandalize the doctor. The doctor’s job is to keep you healthy and we cannot achieve this if we do not give truthful answers to his inquiries. You should not feel that you are the only one embarrassed during a doctor`s appointment. If you say some of the following phrases and they are false, you close yourself to the help your doctor can give you, like medicines for an infection, better contraceptives and even cancer analyzes that can save your life:
My sex life is fine
Whether you feel irritated, you have a sharp pain during intercourse or you suffer from vaginal infections after having sex, do not feel weird when you tell your gynecologist. Physiological sexual problems have a purely physical cause and it is up to the medical professional to solve it. For example irritation may be the result of lack of lubrication due to contraception that is affecting your hormones. Your doctor can prescribe one that does not have that effect. Discomfort in intercourse can be a sign of an ovarian cyst or fibroma, two common benign growths that can be cured. And there are ways to avoid nasty vaginal infections, so report any strange feeling, bleeding sensitivity, and clearly any level of pain.
He always uses a condom
It broke up, he got it wrong or we did not have any left and decided to take the risk. You do not have to explain to your gynecologist why you had unprotected sex, but you must let them know what happened. You should not leave the clinic without having exams for chlamydia, gonorrhea or HIV, which you can contract after a passionate night without a condom with a mate whose health condition you do not know about. Genital herpes and human papillomavirus are also a risk, but gynecologists usually do not test you for them unless you have symptoms or your pain is abnormal. Many young women assume that their doctor automatically tests them for all sexually transmitted diseases during their annual exam, so they assume not having to warn about not using protection.
No, I do not smoke
Maybe you do not feel identified with this phrase because you are not an addict who consumes a pack a day and do not think that an occasional cigarette has something to do with your private parts. You’re wrong. Tobacco in any amount is detrimental to the effect of your contraceptives, puts you at a higher risk of infection and can alter your fertility. Women who smoke and use hormonal contraceptives are more likely to produce dangerous blood clots. Cigarettes also affect your immune system leaving you more vulnerable to the human papillomavirus, warts and cervical cancer. There are studies that link smoking with the risk of abortion. In short, confessing that you smoke helps your doctor know what studies you need.
I take the pill every day
Even the most organized women may forget to take them. But if you pass more than one occasion per cycle, you are harming yourself by hiding it in your review. Not only do you dangerously increase the risk of getting pregnant, but you also miss the opportunity to try a better contraceptive method for yourself, one that you do not have to worry about on a daily basis. If you have a hard time remembering to take the pill your gynecologist can help you with other options. The ring in this case works better because you leave it on for three weeks in a row. Injected contraceptives are also effective for three weeks. And if you really do not want to be distressed he might suggest an IUD that lasts up to ten years
I never had an infection
Although more than half of the newly discovered sexually transmitted diseases are made in young women under 25, these still are a major cause of embarrassment. So do not think that since it was already treated a long time ago, you should not communicate it in the present.
So remember, take away the fear, your doctor will not judge you and rather could possibly save your life.